The Command and Staff Methods of
General George S. Patton Jr. U.S. Army

"I don't want any messages saying I am holding my position! We are not holding anything.  Let the Hun do that.  We are advancing constantly and not interested in holding anything, except onto the enemy.  We're going to hold onto him and kick the hell out of him all the time."

     Briefing to officers of the Third Army prior to the invasion of Europe.
 
General George S. Patton Jr. became one of the most feared and respected combat leaders of WWII.  Eisenhower deceived the Germans into thinking that the Normandy landing was an Allied feint.  It worked!  The deception story was that Patton would land elsewhere with the Third Army as the main effort.  Sixteen combat divisions were kept out of action waiting for Patton's attack.  German opinion was that Patton was America's most dangerous General.  On reputation alone he was able to tie up tens of thousands of German combat troops and he, and his army, wouldn't see action for several weeks.  Considered by many who didn't know him as a reckless, "shoot from the hip" commander, Patton was an extremely insightful leader who spent his entire life preparing to lead men in combat.   

George S. Patton's successes during WWII in Africa, Normandy and during the Battle of the Bulge were no accidents.  They were the result of a life long devotion to the profession of arms and had their foundation deeply rooted in his family, education and combat experiences in both Mexico and WWI.  Patton was one of the most well read officers the U.S. Military ever produced.  Thought to be dyslexic by his father, he amassed the second largest and most complete personal military library in the United States.  Reading was key to his professional development.  Patton once told his son that you couldn't be a successful soldier without knowing history.  How did someone thought to be so abusive and overbearing that seniors and subordinates couldn't stand build an 500,000 man team that was the Allied spearhead into Germany?  The simple answer is that he was an aggressive, win at all costs leader.  However, General Eisenhower once noted that "everything Patton did had a purpose."  The man his soldiers saw was very different form the man that the Third Army Staff dealt with daily.  General George S. Patton, Jr. had two distinctly different personalities that he masterfully used to mold his staff and Army to achieve his purposes. 

Patton's Family

At age sixteen George Patton determined he would pursue the profession of arms.  His father, a California lawyer and 1877 graduate of Virginia Military Institute, instilled a great sense of pride in his military heritage that would forever remain with his namesake.  Patton's love of guns, hunting, sailing, horses and military history can be directly linked to his father's influence.  It has been suggested that he suffered from a form of dyslexia.  To over come this family members would read to him until he reached the age of eleven.  Patton was required to memorize long passages from the classics, ancient history and romantic poetry.  His intense desire to overcome this handicap created a strong motivation to demonstrate superiority in many areas.  His uncanny ability to remember the most minor details was continually demonstrated throughout World Wars I and II.

Mexico/WW I

Patton's reputation as a disciplinarian can be traced to West Point, but is really embedded in his experience as an aide to General "Black Jack" Pershing in Mexico and during WWI.  "Under the personal supervision of the General every unit went through a complete course in range and combat firing, marches, maneuvers, entrenching, and combating exercises" Patton noted as a young Lieutenant on General Pershing's staff.  "When I speak of supervision I do not mean the nebulous staff control so frequently connected with the work.  By constant study General Pershing knew, to the minutest detail, each of the subjects in which he demanded practice, and by his physical presence and personal example and explanation, insured himself that they were correctly carried out."  Patton labeled Pershing his "favorite General" for the rest of his life.  He wrote his wife from Mexico that "I have learned more useful soldiering while in Mexico than all the rest of my service put together."  More than anything else, his service with Pershing laid the foundations that would lead to his success as Commander of the Third Army.  Patton experienced, first hand, the command and staff methods of a extremely successful senior level commander. 

He was immediately called back for duty with the American Expeditionary Force Headquarters when it deployed to France in May 1917.  Pershing had put together a good team in Mexico and they would work for him again in France.  Loyalty to his subordinates is something that Patton took into WWII.  Just like Pershing, he sought out and surrounded himself with the best team he could find.  Patton was later personally assigned by the General to form and fight the first U.S. Tank Corps.  This former cavalryman would rise from the rank of Lieutenant to full Colonel in less than two years and lead the first U.S. tank unit in combat.  Additionally, he would be decorated for heroism and was severely wounded in action.  This experience solidified his views on combat leadership.  George S. Patton Jr. had no place for officers who did not lead from the front and take the same risks as their men.  By the end of WWI he had become the United States' leading expert on the employment of armor.

Professional Study

No analysis of George S. Patton Jr. would be complete without mentioning his love of military history and reading.  He was a self taught expert of military history who knew from reading that the battlefield would always be unclear to the commander.  Studying the past was Patton's key to success in the future.  He prepared himself for every combat situation by studying how others in the past had coped with similar situations.  He began his study early in life and continued it throughout WWII.  Patton had begun reading translated writings of Guderian and Rommel on mechanized tactics as early as 1937.  A good example of the intensity of his professional study occurred on 8 November, 1944, when the Third Army was plagued by high water.  He wrote in his diary: "Woke up at and it was raining like hell.  I actually got nervous and got up and read Rommel's book on Infantry Attacks.  It was most helpful, as he described all the rains he had in September, 1914, and also the fact that, in spite of the heavy rains, the German's got along."  Throughout his life, including during WWII, he took every opportunity ao visit past battlefields and walk the ground.  These experiences served to give him intimate knowledge of the terrain and circumstances he would face in battle. 

Leadership Style

Edgar Puryear, author of Nineteen Stars, wrote " Patton's greatest quality as a leader was his ability to infuse his troops with his own martial ardor."  His genius was constantly demonstrated by his ability to accomplish the impossible with his men.  He intentionally used profanity and tried to instill hate for the enemy in his men.  He wanted his men almost fanatical so they would be unbeatable in combat.  Patton believed that training and discipline were keys to success in battle.  He drove his men hard and his officers harder.  He wanted men who would fight like machines.  The automatic reaction he wanted from his officers and men could only be achieved though tough, demanding and realistic training.  He was convinced this would save lives in combat. 

Above all else, Patton believed that the essential element of all training was discipline.  He wanted discipline "so ingrained that it is stronger than the excitement of battle or the fear of death."  He instructed his commanders that there was to be only one kind of discipline in his unit "PERFECT DISCIPLINE."  He told them that "if you do not enforce and maintain discipline you, are potential murderers."  When Patton assumed command of II Corps after they had lost to the Germans in Africa at the Kasserine Pass, his soldiers looked beaten.  The men were dirty, unshaven, needed haircuts and wore all types of non-regulation clothing.  It was here that he found a method by which the Corps Commander could personally reach out and touch every man in his unit.  He instituted tough uniform regulations.  All personnel were required to wear helmets and neck ties at all times.  Within days every man in II Corps knew his name. 

Directive Control

General George S. Patton Jr. exercised personal leadership.  Like or dislike him, every soldier knew Patton was their commander.  In other units, most soldiers could not remember their Regimental and Division Commanders.  He was constantly in the field visiting units.  Personal visits gave him a better feel for the situation.  They also served to motivate the men and set an example for his officers.  Patton believed in mission orders and even though he was a constant visitor to Corps and Division Headquarters, he did not interfere with their operations.  He believed that you should "never tell people how to do things.  Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity."

Although his primary concern was with results, Patton realized that by taking good care of his soldiers he would get results.  He ordered men to ride on tanks so that they could advance rapidly while saving energy for fighting.  He did not, as some believe, use fear to motivate his men.  He found it easier to take care of their welfare.  Captured enemy stores were delivered to front line units on his order.  His men directly benefited from Third Army good fortune by getting captured steaks and roasts instead of rations.  He even had seven bottles of captured liquor delivered to every man in the Third Army for Thanksgiving in 1944.  George Patton was always quick on the spot to recognize outstanding performance.  He carried awards around with him to pin of his men for exception performance.  He instructed all units to have experts on their staffs who could later quickly push through award citations.  Patton did not limit awards to the bravery of front line soldiers.  Realizing the value of good staff officers, he was also quick to recognize their competence.

Staff Organization and Relationships

Patton knew the value of a good staff.  His view was that the staff existed to support the soldier.  To avoid the resentment that was often present between units and their headquarters, Patton required that each staff section send at least one officer to visit a front line division each day.  Their mission was to learn about problems first hand and furnish assistance.  Patton wanted men who were not afraid to speak up and offer their opinion.  His primary concern was always with results.  He wanted men who had good reasons for their actions and who were not afraid to make decisions. Being systematic, General Patton received 0800 and 1700 formal briefings.  Between the briefings he was out with front line units personally checking the situation.  These briefings were short, usually 20 minutes, and served to keep him and the staff informed of plans and operations.  They ensured everyone on the staff was tied together.

Because he had chosen men he was comfortable with, General Patton remained distant from the main body of the staff.  This approach afforded him the opportunity to relax while thinking through current problems and planning future operations.  It also benefited the staff by keeping him from interfering with daily staff functions and getting involved in minor details.  He had a very predictable and organized relationship with his staff.  In addition to his morning and evening briefings, he held an 0700 informal meeting daily with his Chief of Staff, Section Heads and Tactical Air Commander.  These meetings served to promote open and frank discussion among the staff and himself and were often used as a sounding board for his ideas and plans.

There were no show-offs or individuals on Patton's staff.  To remain on Patton's staff you had to know your stuff.  It was very noticeable to outside observers that there were no stand outs on the staff either.  There was no friction on the staff.  General Patton believed that "Staff Officers of unharmonious disposition, irrespective of their ability, must be removed.  A staff cannot function properly unless it is a united family."  That is probably why, although he had given his staff credit for years, they went largely unnoticed until December of 1944.  "Until the Battle of the Bulge," said General Omar Bradley, "I did not share George's enthusiasm for his Third Army Staff which, unlike those of both First and Ninth Armies, lacked outstanding individual performers."


The Battle of the Bulge

Third Army principle staff members in December of 1944 were almost, without exception, holdovers from the Sicilian campaign.  Upon assuming command in early 1944, Patton replaced most of the senior staff officers with either veterans who had served him in Africa and Sicily, or cavalrymen he had know before the war.  His staff was totally loyal to him and carried out his orders in an extremely efficient manner.    He trusted, rewarded and backed these men to the hilt.  By the fall of 1944, the Third Army and its staff was a smooth running organization.  Patton's staff would cause people to take notice during the Battle of the Bulge.  

Four days prior to the German offensive, Patton ordered his staff to conduct a study of what the Third Army would do if called upon to counter a German breakthrough.  This was based on the outstanding staff work of his G-2, Colonel Oscar Koch.  Early in November the G-2 section identified a large number of German units leaving the Third Army front.  Koch believed they were regrouping elsewhere and on November 23rd wrote "This powerful striking force, with an estimated 500 tanks, is still an untouched strategic reserve held for future employment."  Koch's reports up to 12 December went contrary to most other units and continued to paint a solid picture of a coordinated German counter offensive.  Patton's specific instructions to his staff on that day were "to start making plans for pulling the Third Army out of its eastward attack, change 90 degrees, moving from Luxembourg and attacking north."  The German attack was launched four days later, exactly where Patton was convinced it would be, the Ardennes.

Patton was not surprised when he was summoned to Eisenhower's headquarters for an emergency meeting on 19 December.  The continuing analysis of the staff, coupled with his tactical insight had allowed him to anticipate the German offensive.  At his morning staff meeting he planned three possible lines of attack and coordinated a telephone code with his Chief of Staff.  Everyone at Allied headquarters was stunned when Patton told Eisenhower that he could begin moving the entire Third Army immediately.  Within two days the Third Army was in full battle and a week later the Germans were stopped cold.  Patton's Third Army had been the key to Allied success.  Outstanding staff work allowed Patton to remain at the front and conduct the battle almost entirely by phone.  His anticipation and reaction to the German offensive superbly demonstrated his application of directive control and validated the method in which he directed his staff.  It also serves, from both the German and American points of view, as an excellent example of maneuver warfare.

Applicability to the U.S. Marine Corps

Professional Military Education/Reading and Self Study:  As a commander, Patton was never greatly challenged on the battlefield.  His ability to always make sound decisions was directly linked to his extensive knowledge of past commanders in similar situations.  In addition to his intensive personal study, he also prepared himself for war by visiting past battlefields and touring areas he thought might be of military importance in the future.

Mentoring:  As a young Lieutenant, Patton worked, in combat, for one of the best Generals in U.S. History.  You don't have to look much further than Pershing to see where Patton developed many of his  leadership techniques that were his hallmark in WWII.

Agressiveness:  Attack, attack and attack are three words that best describe his leadership style.  In the age of precision guided munitions, UAVs and robots we should continue to emphasize, not de-emphasize, aggressive behavior in our Marines.  Patton was hard on himself, his officers and his soldiers.  He kept pressure on the enemy, never letting up on them because he knew it would win battles quickly and save lives.

Directive Control/Personal Supervision:  As long as people were doing their jobs Patton stayed out of the way.  He wanted results and didn't get overly involved in details as long as things went well.  He made a point to always know what was going on and when things went "poorly", he was right there to get the plan back on track quickly.  He was able to generate speed and tempo on the battlefield because he had a staff and commanders who could act without instruction, leaving him free to focus on the focus of effort, trouble spots and future planning.

By his aggressive style and bold leadership, General George S. Patton Jr. was considered by many to be the most successful Army commander in Europe.  Although he was reprimanded on several occasions for his controversial actions and conduct, he never experienced a serious setback in combat.  His successes were a product of lifelong preparation for war and an excellent staff that he molded to fit his leadership style.  His service on General Pershing's staff was a significant influence in preparing him to command the Third Army.  By the end WWI he had made himself the leading U.S. expert on armor tactics.  George S. Patton Jr. was successful because he got things done.  He got things done because he thoroughly knew his job, was disciplined, took care of his men, and exercised directive control and personal leadership. His command and staff methods are excellent examples for Marine Corps Officers.

Resources:

War As I Knew It

Patton: A Genius for War